Grease-cup.



J. H. & E. T. NELLER.

GREASE 0UP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, 191s.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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JOHN H. HELLER, OF APPLETON, WISCONSIN, AND ERNEST T. HELLER, OF BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

GREASE-CUP.

Application filed February 19, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. NELLER, residing at Appleton, in the county of Outagamie and State of Wisconsin, and ERNEST T. NELLER, residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California, citizens of the United States of America, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grease-Cups, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in grease-cups and particularly to improvements in grease-cups provided with screwplugs for forcing the lubricant out of the cup; and an object of this invention is to provide such a greasecup with means for preventing the unscrewing or loosening of the screw-plug, which loosening is liable to occur in those situations in which the greasecup is subjected to vibration, jars and shocks.

Another object of this invention is to provide a grease-cup of the character just referred to which will be simple in construction, comparatively cheap in manufacture and efficient, durable and convenient in operation and use and the cost of. upkeep of which will be comparatively low.

In the drawings illustrating the principle of this invention and the best mode now known to us of applying that principle, Figure 1 is a plan view of our new greasecup; Fig. 2 is a section on the line A-A of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lockplate detached; Fig. 4 is a detail showing in vertical central section a bushing which may be screwed into stationary cups now in common use; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are details showing modified forms of the locking device; and Figs. 8 to 11, both inclusive, are details illustrating modified forms of various parts of our new grease cup.

The grease-cup a is formed with a reservoir b for the reception of the lubricant and with a threaded shank c which projects from Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 7, 1914:.

Serial No. 749,307.

the bottom of the reservoir 6 and by which the cup may be attached to a suitable part of the machine which is to be lubricated. The threaded shank c is formed with a central bore or passage 05 which communicates with the chamber 6 of the reservoir Z). The inner lateral wall of the latter is screwthreaded and is thereby adapted to receive the screw.plug f, in the top of which is formed a central socket 9 adapted to receive a suitably-shaped wrench by which the screw-plug may be turned; but it will be understood that any other suitable means for turning the screw-plug maybe used without departure from this invention. The threaded inner lateral wall of the reservoir 1) is formed with a pair of lengthwise-extending slots 72. adapted to receive the ribs or lugs 2' which project radially from the periphery of a circular disk-like locking-plate 5'.

It will be understood that only one lug t' and one slot it may be provided, if desired, without departing from the spirit of this invention; but we prefer to use a pair of slots h and a pair of lugs 2', as we find this arrangement to work more smoothly than where a single channel and lug are used. Further, the channel it may have any suitable section and the lug 2' will have a corresponding section, the object being, of course, to provide, by means of the lugs 2' and the channels h, for the interlocking of the lock-plate j with the grease-cup a so as to prevent relative motion between these two members. The lock-plate j is connected with the screw-plug f by means of a centrally-disposed pin 73 and the lock-plate j and the screw-plug f are free to rotate relatively to each other, whereby the screw-plug f may be turned so as to remove it from the chamber 6 without turning the lock-plate hence, itmay be said that the screw-plug f is rotatably mounted upon the lock-plate j, which will move lengthwise with the screw-plug but will not turn therewith. The inner face ties m adapted to receive a ball 7. In the bottom of the screw-plug f there is formed a socket 0* in which is mounted a coil-spring p which presses the ball at downwardly against the lock-plate j. When the ball n is lodged in one of the recesses m, it serves to interlock the screw-plug f and the lockplate j sufficiently to resist any turning effort upon the screw -plug f produced by vibration, jarring or shocks to which the greasecup 0; may under ordinary circumstances be subjected. Since the lock-plate j itself is held by its ribs or lugs i interlocked with the lateral wall of the grease-cup, it is obvious that such vibration or jarring cannot suffice to turn the screw-plug f so as to loosen or unscrew the same from the cup. However, when the screw-plug f is turned by means of a wrench or forcibly in any other manner, the ball 01, will yield and permit relative turning between the lock-plate j and the screw-plug f. Since the lock-plate j is connected with the screw-plug f by means of the pin 74, the lock-plate is carried by the screw-plug f and will follow the lengthwise or axial movement of the latter. In place of.

the spring-pressed ball a a lock bolt or pin 9 having a rounded head 9 (Fig. 5) .may be used. The number of balls n or pins 9 may be varied as the exigencies of the service to which the grease-cup is put require. here it is desired to utilize stationary cups, (such, for example, as now form a part of the drivingrod on locomotives), a grooved and threaded bushing may be inserted in the cup. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 4 in which 1" denotes the stationary cup into which, after the cup has been threaded, is screwed the bushing 3 having its interior threaded to receive the screw-plug f and formed with longitudinal slots or grooves it (only one of which is shown) to receive the lugs or ribs 2' of the lock-plate j.- In case it be desired to omit the bushing, the stationary cup itself-may be interiorly threaded (as shown at r, Fig. 8) to receive the screwplug f directly and may be formed with longitudinal channels 72, to receive the ribs lugs z of the lock-plate y.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes we have described the principle of operation of our invention, together with the apparatus which we now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but we desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only representative and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

The skill of the art will suggest to ordinary mechanics the reversal of some of the parts shown in our preferred form hereinbefore described. Thus as shown at Fig. 9, the lower end or bottom of the screw-plug may be formed with the recesses m and, as shown at j*, Fig. 9, the lockplate may be arranged to carry the spring 39 and the ball n (or headed pin 9). Any suitable device may be used for turning the plug f so as to force it in or draw it out of the lubricant-reservoir 6. Instead of using a socket 9 adapted to receive the end of a male wrench, a male nut 72f adapted to enter the socket of a female wrench may be formed on the top of the screw-plug f* (Fig. 10) or, as shown in Fig. 11, a combination male-and-female nut h provided at the top of the screw-plug 7 may be used, whereby the use of difierent types of wrenches will be made possible.

The device may be made of any suitable material or combinations of materials; and the size of the device will be regulated by the duty which it is intended to perform.

Our new grease-cup will be found eflicient in preventing the working out of the plug from the cup due to vibration, jarring and shocks and in preventing cross-threading. Furthermore, in our grease-cup hereinbefore described, it will be found that all grease may be forced out of the cup.

In Figs. 6 and 7 there is shown a modified form of locking device in which a leafspring 6 is used, Fig. 6 being a section on the line B-B of Fig. 7. In this modified form the screw-plug f is formed in its lower face with a cavity 0v having lateral extensions 0 into which project the ends of a leaf (or strap or band) spring 6. The upper face of the lock-plate y" is formed with a channel m having vertical side walls and a curved or sloping bottom, this channel being adapted to receive the bow of theleaf-spring t, when the screw-plug f and lock-plate are interlocked. When the latter members'are no longer interlocked, the bow of the leafspring will be pressed upwardly toward the screw-plug and the recesses or lateral extensions 0 of the cavity 0 will afford room within which the ends of the leaf-springt may work;

We claim: e

l. A. grease-cup comprising an interiorlythreaded lubricant-reservoir; a lock-plate interlocked therewith; a plug screwed into said lubricant-reservoir and rotatably mounted on said lock-plate; and locking means which yieldingly hold said lock-plate and plug against relative displacement due to vibration resulting from jars, shocks, pounding and shaking.

2. A grease-cup comprising aninteriorlythreaded lubricant-reservoir formed with longitudinal slots; a lock-plate member formed with lugs which are arranged in said slots; a plug member screwed into said lubricant-reservoir and rotatably mounted on said lock-plate member, one of said members being formed with a recess; and a spring-pressed locking device carried by the other of said members and arranged to engage yieldingly in said recess to hold said members against relative displacement due to vibration resulting from jars, shocks, pounding and shaking.

Signed at Appleton, Wisconsin, this 15th day of February, A. D., 1913, in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

JOHN H. NELLER.

Witnesses:

J. D. STEELE, ELSIE Kor'FEND.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 21st day of January, A. D., 1913, in the presence of the two undersigned witnesses.

ERNEST T. NELLER.

Witnesses:

L. L. HILL, JOHN W. HUNTSBERGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

